Cy Coleman's The Life a portrait of life among Times Square hookers circa 1980, won the Drama Desk Award as Best Musical May The Life which previously was named Best Musical by the Drama League and the Outer Critics Circle, also won Drama Desk Awards May 18 Best Music for Coleman, and Best Featured Actress for Lillias White.

Paula Vogel's Off-Broadway drama, How I Learned To Drive won for Outstanding New Play.

The revival of Chicago won six Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical Revival; Best Actress in a Musical for its star, Bebe Neuwirth; and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Joel Grey.

Dana Ivey won Best Featured Actress in a Play for both her Broadway roles this season: Sex and Longing and The Last Night of Ballyhoo.

Conspicuous by its absence was any award to Kander & Ebb's Steel Pier.

Here is a complete list of the winners:

Best New Play: How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel

Best Musical: The Life by Cy Coleman, Ira Gasman, David Newman

Best Revue: Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly

Best Revival of a Musical: Chicago

Best Revival of a Play: A Doll's House

Best Director of a Play: Mark Brokaw, How I Learned To Drive

Best Director of a Musical: Walter Bobbie, Chicago

Best Actor in a Play: (tie) David Morse, How I Learned To Drive and Christopher Plummer, Barrymore

Best Actress in a Play: Janet McTeer, A Doll's House

Best Actress in a Musical: Bebe Neuwirth, Chicago

Best Actor in a Musical: Robert Cuccioli, Jekyll & Hyde

Best Music: Cy Coleman, The Life

Best Lyrics: Gerard Alessandrini, Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back

Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Lillias White, The Life

Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Joel Grey, Chicago

Best Featured Actor in a Play: Brian Murray, The Little Foxes

Best Featured Actress In A Play: Dana Ivey, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Sex and Longing

Best Solo/One-Woman Show: Fiona Shaw, The Waste Land

Unique Theatrical Experience: The Waste Land

Best Sound Design: John Gromada, The Skriker

Best Choreography: Ann Reinking, Chicago

Best Lighting Design: Ken Billington, Chicago

Best Set of a Play: David Gallo and Jan Hartley, Bunny, Bunny

Best Set of a Musical: Robin Phillips, James Noone/Christina Poddubiuk, Jekyll & Hyde

Best Costumes: Howard Crabtree, Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly

Best Orchestrations: Jonathan Tunick, Titanic

The Drama Desk is an organization of New York theatrer journalists. It gives awards for Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. The May 18 ceremony was held at the Booth Theatre on Broadway.

-- By Robert Viagas